I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
This is great news.
Frist! And a Floridian!
So, if there were just felons who were black democrats, the list would still be in effect? The ex-felons--who served their time and are back in society--will get to vote because some Cuban-American ex-felons are repugnicans?.
How can you tell when a member of the Bush Dynasty is lying?
their lips are moving.
BUSTED
5th HAHAHA!!!
More to do with recent Cuba restrictions than any wish to "establish democracy."
OT a new Newsweek poll as reported by Reuters has Kerry Edwards with 55 percent to Bush-Cheney 45. In 3 way with Nader Kerry Edwards over Bush 47 to 44 percent. And if Bush-Colin Powell v Kerry Edwards a Bush win of 53 to 44 percent.
Not that I care about the polls but was nice to see one calling a nice bounce upward after the Edwards pick.
Wow, those bushes have horrible luck. Documents that would have proved their innocence disapear randomly, voting roll purges that make them look guilty of vote manipulation when they really had no intrest in doing that...poor poor bushes.
The ex-felons--who served their time and are back in society--will get to vote because some Cuban-American ex-felons are repugnicans?.
I repeat, if hispanics think that Bush cares at all about them, they are seriously in denial.
Ans hasn't the hispanic population surpassed the black population, according to the latest census?
``Not including Hispanic felons that may be voters on the list ... was an oversight and a mistake,'' Gov. Jeb Bush said. ``And we accept responsibility and that's why we're pulling it back.''
How could this possibly be 'an oversight and mistake'? And what else have they been up to?
Not including Hispanic felons that may be voters on the list ... was an oversight and a mistake,'' Gov. Jeb Bush said.
Good grief, the sheer volume and speed of their corruption is breathtaking. It's like they don't even take that moment or two of hesitation to weigh their wanton destruction that even routine meanies take. The Bushes are reptile brains set on destruct.
Well that was fast. The news comes out this morning that for every Hispanic (61 total) on the list, there was 361 African-Americans (22,000).
Sure it was just coincidence. From reading the yahoo news article, appears Jeb reserved the right to come up with a new list. Anybody put on the new list will be allowed to vote on a provisional ballet at the polling place pending verification on whether their name is on the list incorrectly.
Jeb is just another Bush.
FL 2000 is a classic case of trying to rig *just* a couple of percentage points because that's all you need in close election. It looks like they're trying the same shit in 2004.
The entire article makes it seem like racial profiling to determine what is right and what is wrong with the system they are using down in Florida.
I'm confused.
Somehow, there is concern that some people just shouldn't be able to vote and those people are felons. Yet, convicted and released felons can file for clemency and get their voting right restored. But, somehow the law barring felons the right to vote is still on the books because....? What is up with Florida?
I'm seriously confused.
Going through thousands of names one by one and praying they'll listen is an exercise in futility. If not just for this election, but elections in the future, Florida ought to be pressured into allowing voting rights for all citizens... this no-felons rule is outdated and unjust.
If this works out, it could strip the Bush Regime of their ace in the hole for stealing another one:
Suit alleges Diebold led county astray
E-voting firm falsely claimed its touchscreens were secure, activists say
By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER
In a lawsuit unsealed Friday, electronic voting critics charge that Diebold Election Systems Inc. gained its first major West Coast sale by misleading Alameda County about the security and legality of its touchscreen voting systems.
The case seeks millions of dollars under California's False Claims Act and is thought to be the first application to the elections arena of a class of high-stakes, whistleblower actions more common in health care billing, construction and defense-contract frauds.
It could be the leading edge of a nationwide legal assault that, if successful, could drive the income of e-voting sales back into the coffers of government -- and create a cash windfall for activists seeking voting reform.
Here's the URL: clicky, and tiny:
http://tinyurl.com/2827c
Well, Republicans are always going on about "special rights" for minorities. I guess they were at least partially right!
The State of Florida is "Pulling Back" according to Gov. Jeb Bush.
However, Its the Counties that control the voter rolls; Keep an eye on the number of Counties that use the list to do a purge.
They'll use a DIFFERENT list.
Don't trust that Jebbie.
In the words of that great Chicagoan Nelson Algren:
The ball game isn't over yet. But it's a rigged ball game.
What I couldn't believe was that the State of Florida (or any other census in the USA) would miss including "Hispanic" as a choice of race. And...Florida? Florida?
Yeah. That's one hell of an oversight.
Yeah, ol' Jeb is supposed to be the smarter one. The Bushes specialize in this sort of sleight of hand. I can't wait for the Kitty Kelley book, is that the one she's ghosting for Sharon Bush, ex-wife of Neil? And could it please come soon?
I actually do believe this was an innocent mistake by the folks in Florida. I don't believe they went about creating the list with the intent to ignore convicted Hispanic felons. I think it was just a case of poor understanding of the data.
However, the most important thing that should be taken from this is the importance of making the process open. The only reason that this mistake was caught was because the public was able to look at this list and notice the absence of Hispanic sounding names. Too bad the Bush regime seems to beleive the exact opposte; that secrecy from the public is the best course of action.
Proving in every way that Bush is a four letter word.
Er... Wait a minute.
Haven't they been saying, repeatedly, that their list doesn't have the race of the "offender" on it?
I actually do believe this was an innocent mistake by the folks in Florida. I don't believe they went about creating the list with the intent to ignore convicted Hispanic felons. I think it was just a case of poor understanding of the data.
However, the most important thing that should be taken from this is the importance of making the process open. The only reason that this mistake was caught was because the public was able to look at this list and notice the absence of Hispanic sounding names. Too bad the Bush regime seems to beleive the exact opposte; that secrecy from the public is the best course of action.
There's no such thing as an "innocent mistake" when a member of the Bush clan is involved - particularly not an "innocent mistake" that will go to serve their interests.
537 votes.
Yeah, it's interesting how all these mistakes go their way, and none of them operate against the Bush interests. Sure, I believe they're innocent mistakes; I also believed that guy who sold me the bridge in Brooklyn.
MattR
I thidnk I disagree with you. Why wasn't this "oversight" spotted earlier? It wasn't until the press won a court order allowing the press to review the felon list that this obvious "oversight" was caught. Until the felon list was dragged out into the light of day, and against the law the republicans in Florida passed attempting to prohit such sunshine, did anyone think, "huh, where are the Hispanics?" C'mon. It is disgusting what they tried.
yeah isn't it funny how all the "innocent mistakes" favor the bushies?
1. Terror report said attacks went down when really went up
2. Cost of Medicare prescription coverage underestimated
3. Dubya's National Guard records accidentally destroyed
We could go on and on....
Am I getting this right? Convicted felons in Florida can't vote. Bad policy if our society wants to reintegrate offenders back into society, but that is the Florida law.
So if felon is the variable, where did a list that excludes some felons by an irrelevant variable: race - ever come from. That's rhetorical obviously.
It had to be intentional manipulation. Okay, I stated the obvious. What's to argue about? The rethugs are trying every scam they can. What is sad is how many of them think that is cool.
Well we'll be house monkies! Even cross-burning suit-wearing racists have an IOKIYAR!
All this fuss over the felons list ... when voter turnout across the board (felon or not) hovers around 50%!!!
Heck, if we spent half the energy just trying to get Dems out to vote we wouldn't have to worry about the Bush mafia rigging the election.
kei & yuri
IOKIYAR!
Huh?
Would Bob Dornan or Pat Buchanan have problems wirth South-Western Hispanics if they were die-hard (as in Watergate plumber die-hard) Rethugs like the Miami terrorists?
537 votes.
Anonymous
Exactly.
537 votes.
Anonymous
Exactly.
Jon,
Hey I am agreeing with you about the oversight. The only reason this came out was that the press fought the state of Florida tough and nail to force them to divulge the list. It should have been caught sooner except that Jeb kept the process shrouded in as much secrecy as possible.
I am no fan of Bush and the Republican Machine (and I would move to Canada before ever voting for that scumbag), but in this case I am gonna give them the benefit of the doubt. I would believe that they would try to add additional names onto the list, but I don't believe that they would try to intentionally leave all Hispanics off the list. It just seems more likely to eb the result of sloppy coding and testing (and believe me I have seen more than my fair share of that)
Matt
Hey, I'm willing to "agree" that all of these Republican mistakes were just that--mistakes.
But doesn't that prove that they are systemically incompetent?
Just asking.
Jeb's Florida makes Piers Anthony books look unimaginative.
Jon, just not John, IOKIYAR stands for It's OK If You're A Republican, and normally it refers to the way Clinus cannot be forgiven for sex but jesus the Rethugs just write the book on deliberate third world nastiness and instead of any consequences at all they get blown by the corporate Club Press. Normally; here we have perhaps a case of racist Rethugs putting aside their skin fetish because they can squeeze votes out of a people.
If you took the politics out of the story and you described all of the tactics used by Bushco on an hourly basis, there probably wouldn't be a single person that wouldn't say that you were talkng about organized crime.
Hey Matt,
You say "and I'd move to Canada ...." like it's the penultimate punishment short of voting for the Court Appointed Incompetent ... believe me, it's not perfect but it will be a popular refuge if the unimaginable might happen ...
but honestly, what about voter turnout vis-a-vis Bush vote rigging shenanigans ...
we should easily be able to make up Anonymous' 537 votes ... don't ya think?
MattR
I have zero technical skills and you seem to believe a technical coding issue may have caused the under reporting of Hispanics. I cannot intelligently disagree. But, but, but. . . when you couple the "oversight" with a republican law specifically designed to prevent third parties, such as the press, from investigating the bona fides of the felon list, and once that list is examined we find these pro-republican mistakes, I have a very hard time believing it was on honest mistake.
Jon
but I don't believe that they would try to intentionally leave all Hispanics off the list.
Lets review the facts:
61 Hispanics on the list
22,000 African-Americans on the list
As someone that has tested more databases than I care to remember, even the novice knows to go back and look for anomalies in the data. If they didn't know, they are dumber than a box of rocks. Nobody is that dumb, they knew.
k & y: not to be pedantic or anything, but the proper appellation is the Clenis™.
Hey Matt,
You say "and I'd move to Canada ...." like it's the penultimate punishment short of voting for the Court Appointed Incompetent ... believe me, it's not perfect but it will be a popular refuge if the unimaginable might happen ...
but honestly, what about voter turnout vis-a-vis Bush vote rigging shenanigans ...
we should easily be able to make up Anonymous' 537 votes ... don't ya think?
Cuban Ex-Felons?
Do the Watergate burglars still live in Florida?
(Sorry taking a Kennedy/Nixon class this summer.)
Chauncey - exactly. Which is why I have taken to referring to them as the GOPranos.
At the upper levels, the Republican party is an organized crime syndicate; at the lower levels, it's a cult.
Or put it this way: Kennedies disenfranchise Republican-leaning Italian felons (hypothetically, bear with us) but they accidentally allow all the Irish felons to vote. Or imagine Chavez or Aristide or even fucking Chirac doing this. The media would come up with special reports on the inferiority of our third world neighbors, the Frenchness of the French or the evil that is the Democrats.
Had a Brain Fart that I thought I'd share
Remember that clip from the 2000 Election Where Bush Couldn't Even Name the President of Pakistan. I believe he said something like "Uhhhhh..... the General"
Why the hell hasn't anyone rolled that one out for our much beloved issue ads.
Sure as hell would shut the Repubs the fuck up about any 'experience' issues they may raise with Edwards, just a thought
MattR you are either Rip Van Winkle or a troll.
61 Hispanics on the list
22,000 African-Americans on the list
Holy shit. There is absolutely no way this was just a fucking oversight.
kei & yuri
"IOKIYAR stands for It's OK If You're A Republican"
Of course, duh. Thanks!
Jon
Proving once again that there is no rock too small that a republican cannot crawl out from under it.
The Bush crime famiglia makes more "honest" mistakes than any other family.
I guess thats why they are known as straight shooters, cuz they always admit their "honest" mistakes AFTER they are caught.
At the upper levels, the Republican party is an organized crime syndicate; at the lower levels, it's a cult.
Perfect description Jennifer.
People, just stop for a minute and THINK! Why would Jeb's felon list lack Hispanics? Because traditionally, Hispanics in Florida tend to be Republicans! We wouldn't want to disenfranchise Republican Hispanics, would we? Why do they now accept that a mistake was made? Because Florida Hispanics are now less likely to be Republicans, due to the large numbers of non-Cuban Hispanics migrating here plus the increasing number of Cubans-Americans who no longer identify with the GOP. In the future, felon lists will likely include plenty of Hispanics, now that they're less likely to be Republicans.
51st State - did not mean it as an insult. I have dual citizenship 
chris/tx - you are right of course. but I have been around too many incompetent/lazy programmers who test one case and assume the rest works perfectly
Jon - the issue was that they were matching by name and race. however the two databases had different lists of acceptable values for race. Since only one of the lists had "Hispanic" as an option, anyone who chose that race would never get matched with an entry int he other database. The only Hispanics on the list were those who chose"other" rahter than "Hispanic".
Mimiru, it wouldn't have to be Watergate or the Bay of Pigs. We were not exaggerating when we called them terrorists. The old guard of the Miami Cubans--the former rapist-landlords who were ejected when Castro brought law to Cuba--are all violent terrorists and terrorist supporters, in the name of "liberating" Cuba (as bloodily as possible, and with a prompt return to the "freedom" of Batista of course). There is a huge list of crimes they have committed, including one incident where a moron fired an anti-aircraft missile at a ship (note: industrial cargo vessels are a wee bit thicker-skinned than aircraft, it just dented it) because he thought it might've been on its way to Havana (it wasn't).
This is just beyond belief. I don't understand how individual states can make a decision about who can and can't vote in a FEDERAL election! Shouldn't the U.S. Congress or the Supreme Court be looking at this?
Just look at the proportion of dems to repubs on the list--certainly behooves the entrenched republicans in Florida to keep this horrible list alive.
Does anyone know of a group in Florida that is working to contact people on this list, to let them know their rights? I'd fly to Florida and volunterr to help encourage these folks go to the polls and use the "provisional ballot" if necessary.
Here's to the 2008 Election when Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, etc, ad nauseum, all appear on the felon list.
I want to volunteer not volunterr.
Tomato - that is truly hilarious. I promise you that neither of those characterizations are accurate. I know all the terrible shit that Bush and co have done over the past 4 years and I want them out of office as much as anyone. I have heard the bullshit that spews out of their mouth's and it angers me as well.
I do have some doubt about the legitimacy of this mistake, but I just have not seen enough other than circumstancial evidence to convince me that this was intentional (maybe that is related to the fact that i have seen some terribly written systems and some truly incompetent programmers in my years as a software developer).
If it makes you feel any better, I am pretty sure that the Bush's military document were not accidentally destroyed during microfilm restoration.
The more I think about this the angrier I get.
What was basically done was take two databases:
1) The Florida registered voters with first & last name, birth date, and ethnic code.
2) The list of felons with first & last name, birth date and ethnic code.
Connect these two databases with ODBC (ordered database connectivity). Then write a report in SQL (five minutes tops) that compares these two databases for common first & last names, birth dates, and the ethnic code, and print out the report of matching names in both databases.
Anybody that does this (basic skill for any degreed accountant or IT person) would check that the two databases have the same 5-6 codes for ethnic code, even a moron.
Florida is trying to hang their hat on that this was something technical and oh so complicated, that anybody could have made this mistake. No, it would take a certified idiot not to verify that the two databases did not have a comparable coding for Hispanics in the felons database. Even if you miss it on first pass, you would catch it when run a basic test of your results.
Man, I need a drink, I'm seeing red right now.
MattR:
If it makes you feel any better, I am pretty sure that the Bush's military document were not accidentally destroyed during microfilm restoration
But....but....! Well, there is a tooth fairy at least, isn't there?
I'm worried about a "bait and switch." There's been a little talk about voter registration problems here in St. Louis, but nothing loud like all the scandal in Florida recently.
How many other swing states are there? And doesn't the press suffer from tunnel vision?
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean...well, you know the rest.
OT - A memo Cardinal Ratzinger wrote to the Catholic hierarchy here in the USA has apparently been leaked, and it was written so that bishops would be forced to deny John Kerry communion.
"Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia," writes the Cardinal, "when a person's formal co-operation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his pastor should meet with him, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."
As far as I'm concerned, Cardinal Ratzinger can go to hell. Whether a person takes communion or not is between him and God, and if the Cardinal and Archbishop Burke of St. Louis want to so deny Kerry, they need to just excommunicate him.
I honestly do not understand how a Church that protected pedophiles for decades (and still does, I believe) can justify this shit.
First, a database that if copied would be deleted.
Second, microfilm that self destructs.
Third, a database merge that failed because there are hispanics in Florida.
Must be EDS!
Another half hearted attempt at pretending Smirk's constituency is not completely Aryan.
Democracy for brown people!
John Kerry has officially volunteered Jack and Emma Claire Edwards, aged 4 and 6, to serve as official vote counters for West Palm Beach, Florida in the upcoming election.
he says that they're pretty good at math.
doubt that they are any less intelligent than these Gooprano wackjobs.
--------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
yeah isn't it funny how all the "innocent mistakes" favor the bushies?
1. Terror report said attacks went down when really went up
2. Cost of Medicare prescription coverage underestimated
3. Dubya's National Guard records accidentally destroyed
Well, the Cost of Medicare coverage "mistake" wasn't innocent, as they threatened to fire the guy if he released the real #'s to Florida.
However, with #3, you're conveniently assuming that the National Guard records would go against Bush. While you're probably right, you never know.
What I don't understand with any of this is that if it's really deliberate, how do they ever think they'll get away with it? And if it isn't deliberate, how are they so damned incompetent?
The bushies love taking away rights, I thought this is firmly established a while back. Now if only the media would just take their eyes off their bank accounts and focus on their duties to the people...ahh, yes, a nice fantasy.
"Glitch." "Oversight."
Okay after my 8:39 freak-out about volunteering in Florida, I went out and found the group that is working on this very issue:
(Note: this is my first attempt at embedding a url, so bear with me if it doesn't work).
People for the American Way
Not including Hispanic felons that may be voters on the list ... was an oversight and a mistake,'' Gov. Jeb Bush said. ``And we accept responsibility and that's why we're pulling it back.
They've been having a lot of "oversights" ever since they started busily working at stealing the 2000 election. They have never accepted responsibility for their actions, and only claim to when it suits them.........
What is up with Florida?
I'm seriously confused.
C-o-r-r-u-p-t-i-o-n-!
I wonder what is really going on with that two trillion that is unaccounted for? More list compiling?
This is horrible, and also clear evidence of how Jeb Bush has been manipulating the Florida vote.
Sure, I know there's no direct trail leading to the governor's office, but this was simply too transparent.
Load the list with Black felons, since they tend to go with the Democrats; keep the Hispanic felons off the list, in order to help boost the Republican vote.
I think that these days you have to look at the voting fraud in Kirgisistan to find anything that sinks this low.
However, with #3, you're conveniently assuming that the National Guard records would go against Bush.
Yeah, that's true, but it's not a very wild assumption. See THE AWOL PROJECT for studious analysis of what is available.
I actually do believe this was an innocent mistake by the folks in Florida. I don't believe they went about creating the list with the intent to ignore convicted Hispanic felons. I think it was just a case of poor understanding of the data.
Bullshit! Jeb Bush has been disenfranchising tens of thousands of African Americans and manipulating voter rolls in favor of his brother George. It's not an "oversight". It's not a "misunderstanding". It's deliberate, and corrupt and vile.
However, with #3, you're conveniently assuming that the National Guard records would go against Bush. While you're probably right, you never know.
Lets see, you are the grandson of a Senator. Your father was a two term Congressman from TX and was the US delegate to the United Nations at the time you are suppose to be serving in Alabama. You are a gregarious ex frat boy and cheerleader that likes to drink and party.
Yet nobody can ever remember you showing up in AL except one guy, and he can't even get the year right.
I will conveniently assume the National Guards records would have gone against him.
FL 2000 is a classic case of trying to rig *just* a couple of percentage points because that's all you need in close election. It looks like they're trying the same shit in 2004.
Yep.
ADDING:
Someone should demand that the list used during the 2000 election be made public, and a similar investigation should be conducted.
I think we'll then find clear evidence that a major instance of electoral fraud was conducted, a serious crime - and that this gave the presidency to Bush.
test
If this works out, it could strip the Bush Regime of their ace in the hole for stealing another one:
Suit alleges Diebold led county astray
E-voting firm falsely claimed its touchscreens were secure, activists say
There's also an excellent ebook (free) about Diebold and the perils of electronic voting at
www.blackblackboxvoting.com
The ebook is in the righthand column of the page.
"However, with #3, you're conveniently assuming that the National Guard records would go against Bush."
Oh please. Don't you think the little man would have done whatever he could to account for the missing time if he really fulfilled his obligation? Tax records, W-2s, old friends, anything...I doubt there's anyone in the U.S. that doesn't have some kind of paper trail associated with each period of their adult life. Of course, most of us don't have friends in high places destroying original government documents.
He doesn't want anyone to know the truth because it would reveal his true nature--he's an irresponsible, spoiled fratboy who has always used his family's influence and money to get whatever he wants and to avoid difficult service.
Sorry to be brutal but I know in my heart this is true--and so do you.
Someone should demand that the list used during the 2000 election be made public, and a similar investigation should be conducted.
Already been done, state of FL lost the lawsuit which is why this new list was suppose to fix the 2000 problems. Link here.
but the NAACP sued Harris and the gang for the black purge, and won. The state threw up its hands immediately and said, ‘You got us! We’ll put these people back as soon as we can.’
Democracy for brown people!
Ranty | Email | Homepage | 07.10.04 - 9:02 pm | #
T-Shirts pleas...the back should say are you pink brown green or blue,democracy for all colors,and all peoples.
Well, the Cost of Medicare coverage "mistake" wasn't innocent, as they threatened to fire the guy if he released the real #'s to Florida.
Oops! I have Florida on the brain. I meant to say "to Congress"
FEAR IS ALL THEY KNOW
Maureen Dowd, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, pointed out in today's NY Times that the Secret Service has "advised journalists to bring 'escape hood respirators' to the Democratic convention in Boston in case of a terrorist attack."
http://www.esotericbowl.com/arch...ves/
000530.html
Jon - the issue was that they were matching by name and race. however the two databases had different lists of acceptable values for race. Since only one of the lists had "Hispanic" as an option, anyone who chose that race would never get matched with an entry int he other database. The only Hispanics on the list were those who chose"other" rahter than "Hispanic".
This is exactly the same shit they pulled in 2000 to make sure that their loosey-goosey name-matching algorithm turned up black "felons" more often than white ones. Go read The Best Democracy Money Can Buy -- Same people, same database company, same wanton criminality.
OT, but it is such a sweet story.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Presidential hopeful John Kerry and running mate John Edwards asked supporters Saturday in the vice presidential candidate's hometown to help put Republican-leaning North Carolina into the Democratic column in November and them into the White House.
``Let me ask you a favor,'' Kerry asked a massive crowd. ``Will you let me borrow John Edwards for at least four years?''
The crowd responded with chants of ``eight, eight, eight.''
Chuckling, Kerry remarked: ``I said 'at least'''
``How about 16?'' he continued, sending the crowd into cheers at the notion of a favorite son possibly following a two-term Kerry presidency with two terms of his own.
but the NAACP sued Harris and the gang for the black purge, and won. The state threw up its hands immediately and said, ‘You got us! We’ll put these people back as soon as we can.’
....yeah. And surprise! The State of Florida has still not put these people back on the voting rolls. Not only is their no accountability, no compensation--there is no attempt to rectify the situation (I guess until maybe the 2008 election when George is gone--unless Jeb decides to run......)
How do you "accidentally" exclude Hispanic felons? Do they have their own list and somebody left it in his other pants that day? Why does the word "douchebag" pop into my head every time I read about a Republican saying or doing anything? Anybody else experiencing this phenomenon?
Republican strategy:
1. Establish a "polarised electorate" legend
Rig opinion polls so that Bush and Kerry track almost neck and neck, with Kerry slightly ahead to make it appear plausible (one or two should show Bush ahead, e.g. Fox News, to introduce the "we told you so" factor).
2. Put in The Fix
Rig election (via no-audit trail touch screens, felons lists etc.) so that Bush just... squeaks... in.
3. Bamboozle with numbers
Explain anomaly between Kerry-ahead polls and election results by pointing out "margin of error" in sampling for polls, "volatility of electorate" and so on.
Maureen Dowd, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, pointed out in today's NY Times that the Secret Service has "advised journalists to bring 'escape hood respirators' to the Democratic convention in Boston in case of a terrorist attack."
....sounds like the Republicans are planning another terrorist attack....
Peemer,
They always take Republican Responsibility. You know, the kind that has no actual consequences attached.
Chris/TX: "Florida is trying to hang their hat on that this was something technical and oh so complicated, that anybody could have made this mistake. No, it would take a certified idiot..."
Seems to me that a pretty good strategy for deniable corruption is this: 1. Hire a bunch of people who really don't know how to do shit. 2. They make incredibly dumb mistakes, with no ill intent. 3a. If the mistakes help you, ignore them. 3b. If the mistakes harm you, or are too obvious, correct them.
First time I thought of this was when I volunteered as a poll-watcher in my New York neighborhood in November 2000. Much of Brooklyn experienced a mini-Florida situation that day, which didn't make the news because none of the big races were close in NY, but it was pretty dramatic: someone had screwed with the machines in many districts so that you couldn't vote at all for a certain office. This was pretty quickly noticed, and all the machines were taken out of service and people were given paper ballots as required by law. However, the result (at least in my neighborhood) was nearly the same as if the bad machines had never been noticed: neither the little old ladies who run the polling stations, nor the patronage appointees who nominally oversee them, had the slightest clue how to run the paper balloting process... so they slowed everything to a crawl, used the wrong forms, put them in the wrong boxes, and went home before they'd been counted. The half-dozen public servants who actually knew how to do things (I say public servants, but in NY much of the election system is run directly by political party appointees) were not deployed until rather late in the day. Hundreds/thousands of votes were effectively thrown away, and God knows how many people gave up on voting after seeing everyone else wait in line for hours.
So if someone was trying to suppress votes in certain districts, in local races that no one paid a lot of attention to - and we'll never know, but that's the kind of vote fraud that tends to happen in NYC - they did it by exploiting the virtually inexhaustible reserves of unbiased incompetence that exist at so many levels of the system. Some might say that's why those reserves are allowed to exist.
When I'm on dial-up, I'll go to drudge, minimize a few of his pop-ups, then get out...I might be crazy but it seems like my download time starts to fly.
had to grab this tid-bit though
"Two journalists were caught on video this week in a fight in the Senate Press Conference room."
Too bad it wasn't Helen Thomas kicking traitor boiz butt.
Mena,
Yes, that's what they do! On the rare occasions when they do take responsibility for some screw up, the actual responsibility they take is to mouth the words "I take responsibility". However, no actions follow, no wrongs are righted and no losses compensated for....
Does anyone believe this list would have been thrown out by Jeb if CNN hadn't sued to get the list released? They tried to hide it, then ran away from it in light of day.
If not for the reporting of Greg Palast and others the scandal of the Florida 2000 election would certainly be repeated in 2004.
Seems to me that a pretty good strategy for deniable corruption is this: 1. Hire a bunch of people who really don't know how to do shit. 2. They make incredibly dumb mistakes, with no ill intent. 3a. If the mistakes help you, ignore them. 3b. If the mistakes harm you, or are too obvious, correct them.
I definitely think that's one of many strategies the Republicans are employing to steal elections. Others include: hiring private firms to create "felony" lists that wrongly disenfranchise groups of people (African Americans) likely to vote against Republicans; establish private firms to create electronic voting systems that can be subject to fraud and manipulation without anyone knowing, stock cronies on the Supreme Court to override election results, stage terrorist threats and/or attacks to disrupt election if it looks like George may lose.....
If not for the reporting of Greg Palast and others the scandal of the Florida 2000 election would certainly be repeated in 2004.
It's being repeated! It's being repeated!
A) this is a GOOD thing--the scrutiny of the press/public, looking at this f'ed up list, has caused jeb to back off (i'm one of those who cried at the very beginning of the F9/11 film--that c-span footage should be shown in every high school civics class in the nation, right after they discuss the people who died in the civil rights movement to make sure that african americans could vote at all!)
B) of course jeb will try again, if he thinks it will work. BUT, if the dead-beat press did it this time, maybe, just MAYBE, they'll do it again! WE MUST MAKE SURE THEY DO. people must know.
C) i have the citations for the official public record if anyone wants to read the words of the (predominately) minority FLA reps who were trying to speak up for their constituents who were illegally disenfranchised in 2000. it will break your heart.
***
about that microfilm: as a librarian, i can tell you, that the process of filming paper does NOT destroy the paper records in question--this is TOTAL CRAP. i don't care who they work for, archivists, preservationists, are CAREFUL with this stuff, and there's no way i am buying that story. NO. WAY.
most.
lies.
ever.
-librarian (PA)
This may win Kerry the election.
Cool, eh? Power of the pen, baby.
Having read Atrios and others for almost two years, I have never needed a tin foil hat, until tonight.
This whole FL felon voting list, and acting like it is so complicated and it could have happened to anyone...well, it's like telling a ten year old girl she can get pregnant from a dirty toilet seat.
As someone that has worked with databases for most of twenty years now, this just does not happen without corruption or gross incompetence. Or maybe Eli (@9:53) is right, hire the most incompetent people, and only fix the mistakes if they hurt your side.
Head just exploded despite the costly armor I've added.
I;m suing.
As someone that has worked with databases for most of twenty years now, this just does not happen without corruption or gross incompetence. Or maybe Eli (@9:53) is right, hire the most incompetent people, and only fix the mistakes if they hurt your side.
It could easily be both. But it's not just incompetence. It's deliberate.
Head just exploded despite the costly armor I've added.
I;m suing.
peemer - Correct. Deliberate incompetence. Worse part is we know Jeb is going to send some POS list to the local polling stations and leave it to them in deciding who gets to vote. This is far from over, just put some more lipstick on the pig and send it out for act II.
about that microfilm: as a librarian, i can tell you, that the process of filming paper does NOT destroy the paper records in question--this is TOTAL CRAP. i don't care who they work for, archivists, preservationists, are CAREFUL with this stuff, and there's no way i am buying that story. NO. WAY.
As someone who formerly worked in a library, I agree: The process doesn't destroy the originals. (Certain libraries--like my former one--often shortsightedly throw original documents away after filming them...but that's another story.) If they claim that filming itself destroyed the records, that's about the lamest lie imaginable.
OT, Billmon posted a whopper on Kenny Boy, lots of background
This whole FL felon voting list, and acting like it is so complicated and it could have happened to anyone...well, it's like telling a ten year old girl she can get pregnant from a dirty toilet seat.
Well said, my friend. The honest mistake excuse is just so much BS as is obvious to most folks on this board. Just like the part of Gee W's military records that just "happened" to be "accidentally" destroyed. I believe all this is adding up. We are beginning to see critical mass being approached.
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the deal with the tinfoil hat reference??
Kerry says Bush misled America, abused power (none / 0)
After Senate report on Iraq, Kerry says Bush misled America, abused power
Edited on Sat Jul-10-04 08:52 PM by NNN0LHI
link
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said in an interview that President George W. Bush (news - web sites) had "misled America" and abused power in the run-up to the war in Iraq (news - web sites) by making allegations that proved to be wrong.
The charges, made in a wide ranging interview with The New York Times, came one day after the Senate Intelligence Committee released a scathing report saying the CIA (news - web sites)'s allegations about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and its ties to the al-Qaeda terror network had been either overstated or not backed up by intelligence reporting.
Kerry made clear he believed the president, rather that the intelligence community or the Pentagon (news - web sites), were ultimately responsible for what was happening in his administration.
"He certainly misled America about nuclear involvement," said the Massachusetts senator, commenting on Bush's statement about alleged attempts by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) to reconstitute Iraq's nuclear weapons program.
[READ THE WHOLE THING! KERRY AND EDWARDS ARE THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET! THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CALLING BUSH AN INCOMPETENT LIAR!]
At the upper levels, the Republican party is an organized crime syndicate; at the lower levels, it's a cult.
So you're saying they're pretty much like the Scientologists?
Several Points --
1. The problem with the Florida Voter Purge is people being falsely identified as felons. More than 1,000 eligible Democratic voters were illegally purged before the 2000 election.
2. The 14th Amendment allows states to deny voting rights to felons. This was aimed at confederate veterans, but it includes all felons. It's the Florida constitution that expressly excludes felons from eligibility, and with the 14th amendment, the Feds have no jurisdiction.
3. The 2000 Florida Voter Purge was a Karl Rove scheme, that he first tried out in 1982, in Texas. Google "The Texas Blueprint for the Stolen Election", or click on the homepage to see my research.
The Criminal Conspiracy to steal the election began years before a single vote was cast.
chris/tx--no tinfoil needed. it is all very simple: money. it is ALWAYS about money. follow the money. nothing "tinfoil" there.
i want to see the F9/11 sound-track of moore saying "who's your daddy?" with the Saudi money figures written over the Bush/Cheney smirk--what else do you need to see?
here's my new meme for the RNC:
"Farenheit 9/11 changed everything."
(okay, it IS over-stated, but still...we are all whores for the soundbite.)
-librarian (PA)
Don't think there aren't spooks working to "preserve" microfilm or clean up lists, lots of money floating loose...
"Our work, supported by documents, including FBI reports and secret intelligence files from behind the Iron Curtain, shows Maxwell (former Daily Mirror owner/Labour MP) had worked as a secret super spy for Mossad for six years...In that time, he had free access to Margaret Thatcher's Downing Street, to Ronald Reagan's White House, to the Kremlin and to the corridors of power throughout Europe"
I wonder what Murdock does with his spare time.
This whole FL felon voting list, and acting like it is so complicated and it could have happened to anyone...well, it's like telling a ten year old girl she can get pregnant from a dirty toilet seat.
As someone that has worked with databases for most of twenty years now, this just does not happen without corruption or gross incompetence
Exactly right. The people who were merging those databases did not have to know anything about the "big" number of records (though 48,000 is not a big number) - they only had to deal with the fields in each record. That is - first name, last name, address, and so forth.
How many fields could there be? I would guess twenty, max. Thirty to give the benefit of a doubt. That's the number of data points they had to keep straight.
This story makes it sound like there was a dizzying technical challenge, but they're talking about the simplest, most basic daily routine in database-land.
There is simply NO WAY that this could have happened without somebody knowing about it.
If it somehow did happen inadvertently on the first pass (and even that is vanishingly unlikely), somebody would have flagged it, and there are emails, notes, etc on the matter.
A well-crafted FOI request would clear this up, except for the fact that the state contracted this task out to a private company. One with notable Republican ties, it so happens.
Well, darn the luck.
Several Points --
1. The problem with the Florida Voter Purge is people being falsely identified as felons. More than 1,000 eligible Democratic voters were illegally purged before the 2000 election.
2. The 14th Amendment allows states to deny voting rights to felons. This was aimed at confederate veterans, but it includes all felons. It's the Florida constitution that expressly excludes felons from eligibility, and with the 14th amendment, the Feds have no jurisdiction.
3. The 2000 Florida Voter Purge was a Karl Rove scheme, that he first tried out in 1982, in Texas. Google "The Texas Blueprint for the Stolen Election", or click on the homepage to see my research.
The Criminal Conspiracy to steal the election began years before a single vote was cast.
what is the deal with the tinfoil hat reference??
Billy B. - When you start believing in conspiracy theories, as in BushCo may fix the election through Diebold touch screen voting with no paper printouts for recounts (or removing people from voting list). Google has many references.
"...The 14th Amendment allows states to deny voting rights to felons"
damn, that's too bad that there is an amendment on the books that limits voting rights for people that have paid their dues to society.
But Congress can make new amendments to overturn previous amendments, can't they? Haven't they done it before?
sorry about the double post -- hit the refresh key, and the dang thing reposted.
ck - It was more like 50,000. See my link @9:31.
Philalethes--you got it. there's no way army/gov librarians would throw out the original paper records BEFORE they had good copies in micro back, i mean, you are potentially f'ing up people's retirement, health care, etc. by losing those records. that's crap. i mean, geeze, the copyright/patent people keep paper FOREVER even when they have micro and digi records. c'mon, it's just like this whole "blame the database" because it is so "complicated" crap!
this is a repeated theme with the current admin: blame low level people for making mistakes--mistakes they'd never really make, and thus avoid blame.
"oh--the CIA made me do it!"
"mistakes were made. records were lost. facts were mistaken."
to quote my beloved jon stewart:
does the buck stop anywhere NEAR you?
-librarian (PA)
Man, I need a drink, I'm seeing red right now.
chris/tx - That's just about how I've felt since the announcement that somebody's dog ate the microfilm. I spent waaaayyyy too much time and soul worrying at the US Army and devising methodologies for xferring heritage records from one form to another, in 1994-95-96 not to be so past anger....
Drink up, buddy!
kiki --
Amending the Constitution is the highest hurdle in our Federal System. It requires a two thirds approval in both houses of Congress, the President's signature, and approval by three quarters of the states.
In doing the research that lead to the Texas Blueprint, I discovered that disenfranchising minority voters is a cottage industry for the GOP. One of the main tactics is the BSTF -- the Ballot Security Task Force scam. They post intimidating signs and armed guards at minority polling places, to try and scare off voters.
Read the Rachel Barry report cited in the Texas BP.
Anonymous--
You rang?
Amazing stuff, people.
1. State of Florida issues felon list to counties.
2. PFAW (IIRC) sues to see the list.
3. PFAW gets list, posts it on website.
4. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY the GOP-run State of Florida withdraws the list?
What the hell, what if PFAW hadn't posted the list??
Everyday, I wake up, and I think, this is the day that it gets better. This is the day that there is no story about the freaking GOP fucking up my country. Every night, I go to bed, thinking, tomorrow is the day...
537 votes got us here, folks. 537 stinking votes. Teresa LaPore and her G.D. butterfly ballot resulting in Jews for Buchanan in Palm Beach County. Blacks being blocked from voting by Florida State Troopers. Non-felons being purged from the voter rolls by Katherine Harris, who also certified the results. Antonin Scalia issuing an injunction from counting the ballots because otherwise the "legitimacy of the Bush election would be clouded." Then, several days later, a Supreme Court appointment of GWB as POTUS, on a 5-4 vote.
These last 4 years have been one long nightmare. God help the Republic if GWB "wins" again.
Thanks GWPDA, headed to do that right now, and let the night crew takeover. Cheers.
chris/tx --
It's unknown how many of the 57,000 voters on the list that Greg Palast cites were actually purged. Some counties refused to do it -- in Leon County, of the 590+ names on the list, only 34(?) were actual felons.
And many names on the list were felons -- but many were not.
The more than 1,000 eligible voters that were illegally that I cite was from the reporting of South Florida Newspapers (Miami Herald? Palm Beach Post?) in May of 2001. This was a number they had positively identified -- the actual number may have been much higher.
I may be reading it wrong but it sounds like they canceled the list because there weren't Hispanics on it. Meaning they got caught scrubbing blacks but letting Hispanic felons vote because they lean Republican in FL.
I am reading it wrong?? The flaw would have allowed Hispanics felons to vote. They just got caught being racists!!!!
I'm sure it was just an oversight letting Cuban felons vote.
, I discovered that disenfranchising minority voters is a cottage industry for the GOP. One of the main tactics is the BSTF -- the Ballot Security Task Force scam. They post intimidating signs and armed guards at minority polling places, to try and scare off voters.
ck
Our Chief "Justice" did this once or twice on behalf of the GOP.
In light of his unparalleled success in subverting the voting rights of black people and other minorities the modern name for this form of racist discrimination should be "Jeb Crow". Poppy and Babs must be proud of him.
cbris/tx:
Many thanks for the tinfoil hat explanation.
kiki:
Yep, amendments can be overturned. It takes a constitutional amendment to overturn an amendment. It happened with Prohibition in the '30's.
Dog eats the microfiche:
If that happened, then we need to give Fido a good laxative or an enema as microfiche' is plastic and plastic passed thru the digestive system unscathed.
537 votes - You know, as much as I'd like to see the Corrupt Five on the court impeached for the catastrophe they brought upon us, I've noticed something: None of them resigned during W's term, despite the fact that at least a couple were planning to step down. This has led me to believe that they came to see the folly of their meddling with the election, and to hope that the two who have had to postpone retirement out of fear of who would replace them would not be willing to re-install this petty tyrant.
You have to take encouragement where you can find it, which is not in a lot of places these days.
The reason why their lies are transparent and sloppy is that they are made on the run opportunistic choices. No real effort is made to tidy up stories that would entail conspiracy of record keeping and complex instructions. The right wing is running free form improvisations on the same/similar theme. Lies will be masked by other lies/distractions. Media is too slow and methodical to catch up.
plastic passed thru the digestive system
passes through
I may be reading it wrong but it sounds like they canceled the list because there weren't Hispanics on it. Meaning they got caught scrubbing blacks but letting Hispanic felons vote because they lean Republican in FL.
I am reading it wrong?? The flaw would have allowed Hispanics felons to vote. They just got caught being racists!!!!
I'm sure it was just an oversight letting Cuban felons vote.
You are not reading it wrong, except that they are much too 'evolved' to do such things out of any racist motivation. Race is just a tool.
all of this, it's evidence that the PEOPLE are winning! they won't let that happen easily, but that does not mean it isn't inevitable. it's going to be a long, scary summer, but you know, it's a test: do we deserve a true democracy in this nation? can we hold onto it, depsite the totally predictable efforts of the men at the top, to stop us?
answer: YES.
we may not be the smartest, but we ain't THAT dumb!
big cheers for small media, like ATRIOS--it forces the traditional media to look in the mirror, and more often than not, they don't like what they see, and sometimes they try to make a change...
documentary films, books, 'blogs...these are today's equivalents to the pamphlets that instigated the original revolution in this nation (like tom paine.)
if they really need to shut us up, they'll have to take down the 'net.
if that happens, this is one mild mannered librarian who also knows how to get out onto the street!
and i know i'm not alone.
i look forward to bitching about john kerry AFTER HE WINS.
that's my right. as a citizen. until then, you won't hear one word of complaint about him from me!
-librarian (PA)
At the upper levels, the Republican party is an organized crime syndicate; at the lower levels, it's a cult.
So you're saying they're pretty much like the Scientologists?
Philalethes | Email | Homepage | 07.10.04 - 10:20 pm | #
Or that they're becoming a religion.
Thank you, CNN.
I've heard that as many as four S.C. justices could retire in the next four years. Does anyone know which ones might be leaving? Not that it matters too much, if Bush picks three or four.including a Chief, democracy will go the way of the dodo.
The ReThugs never, and I mean never, do the right thing until forced into it by decent society.
dray - Sandra Day O'Connor was one of the ones who hoped to retire in the past 4 years. I don't recall who the other was, other than it was one of the Felonious Five.
Renquist is always pissing and moaning about the work load. I've heard that Scalia is feeling put out that he hasn't been made Chief Justice and might quit if he isn't nominated. But that might just be gossip. Ginsberg isn't looking well and Stevens is getting up in years. Odd, he isn't complaining.
I swear, this is a dangerous election to remain ignorant about. I am encouraged that thug/hate ads appear to be having minor effect so far this election. The GOP has gone so far over the wall in the last few years, even their stupid red state supporters have to wake up to the fact they're getting screwed at some point.
Rehnquist was appointed by Nixon; I believe he's in his 80's. Sandra Day O'Connor, appointed by Reagan, was planning to retire in 2001 (she was 69 at the time) but chose not to. Stevens was also, if memory serves, appointed by Nixon, and is no spring chicken.
Clarence Thomas, God help us all, is only in his 40's, I believe. He's going to be around forever.
Was George P Bush on that list for breaking into his girlfriend's house and trying to rape her?
Was Noelle Bush on the list for her love of crack?
I like peemer's idea. You hire idiots, and correct their errors only when doing so serves your interest. The remaining errors, which ALSO serve your interest or are neutral, you leave in place to provide plausible deniability. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if this is how it went.
No programmer who has a brain would make this sort of mistake, but then again, we don't have evidence that the programmers involved had brains, now do we? In fact, it is virtually inconceivable that a programmer with a brain wouldn't notice this. They'd at least have to know how the "race" variable was represented in the databases. In determining this, even if they just looked at a codebook and not the actual data, they would easily see that one list of permitted race values included Hispanic and one didn't. This work must have been done by co-conspirators or the rankest nitwits.
ObNit: It's Open DB Connectivity, not "Ordered".
Nora: "Clarence Thomas, God help us all, is only in his 40's, I believe. He's going to be around forever."
A majority on this Supreme Court should be impeached.
The entire Bush crime family should be on a felon list.
Not including Hispanic felons that may be voters on the list ... was an oversight and a mistake,'' Gov. Jeb Bush said.
And getting caught at is is just a bitch...
I was gonna say, Gemini, I can't believe even a Bush would have the balls to come out and say that.
OT, BUT DAMN IMPORTANT: Our Broken System On Tuesday, July 6, 2004, Judge Reggie Walton made a decision and ruled on my case. Under his ruling, I, an American citizen, am not entitled to pursue my 1st and 5th Amendment rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States. The vague reasoning cited, without any explanation, is to protect "certain diplomatic relations for national security."
by Sibel Edmonds FBI translator who blew the whistle on the 9/11 coverup AND HAS SINCE BEEN GAGGED with her allegations retroactively classifyied While, things she talks about like President Bush's uncle Jonathan Bush and the Riggs Bank $25 million fine for a "willful, systemic" violation of anti-money-laundering laws are underreported but like the BCCI YOU CAN STILL Follow the Money
Noelle Bush got a pass on what any poor blk, wht, or hispanic defendant would have done hard time for at least 6 months. George P. and all the other Bush criminals have GOOD LAWYERS and connections (think 2 Americas)to save thier pampered asses from a *justice* system that would slam them if not for their good fortune.
What I don't understand with any of this is that if it's really deliberate, how do they ever think they'll get away with it? And if it isn't deliberate, how are they so damned incompetent?
Dave | Email | Homepage | 07.10.04 - 9:07 pm | #
Dave, they think they'll get away with it because they're not planning on relinquishing power. Ever.
The criminal liability these people face is breathtaking. Even if Junior pardons the lot of them on his way out of office, he can't issue a pardon that would bind the Hague. Even though the U.S. doesn't currently submit its nationals to ICC jurisdiction, that could change. Moreover, some violations of international law subject the offender to the jurisdiction of any nation in which they're found. Some of the crimes these people have committed -- most notably waging an aggressive war, violating the Geneva conventions and so on -- could be prosecuted at the ICC, or elsewhere, regardless of whether the US consented.
And even if they managed to escape criminal penalties -- do you suppose there may be files whose destruction the Bushes can't quite be certain of that would guarantee they never, ever held power again?
The Bushes are riding the tiger of their own misconduct now. And when you ride the tiger you can never, ever stop. That's why they're openly talking about how to cancel -- not just reschedule -- the elections in the event of an attack. They're laying the groundwork now.
Because tigers are always hungry.
Problem is, this is likely to just go away. Another "innocent mistake", just like all the others -- terrorism statistics, underestimating the cost of new drug benefit (oops, my mistake that one has been clearly shown to be a venal act), couldn't even IMAGINE that whole 911 thing (despite warnings, etc.), invading Iraq too fast and too light, and then there's the WMD (well, we sure thought Saddam had...) If this Administration actually made half of the mistakes they claim are "mistakes" and not ill intentioned, then they should be run out of office for incompetence alone.
What kind of "mistakes" might they make to attempt to assure their re-election? Will we even have an election?
Regardless, I predict that Bush will not significantly suffer for his "mistakes" -- certainly won't face anything like the incessant investigations Clinton got. It'll just be one more of those wacky mistakes W and his buddies make as they go about doing the Lord's work.
What's with the Bush/Powell, Bush/McCain polls? Why not Bush/Jesus, Bush/Socrates, Bush/Buddha etc., etc.?
So many "innocent mistakes" with this admininstration.
What amazing coincidences!!
It boggles the mind.
No WMD, Sadda-Al Qaeda ties, ignoring Al Qaeda warnings leading to 9-11, outing CIA agents, torturing prisoners, denying people constitutional rights, passing the Patriot Act in the wake of 9-11, phony "voter riots" in Florida, misappropriation of Iraq funds, no-bid contracts for Halliburton, scrubbing voter roles in 2000, scrubbing voter roles this time leaving Latinos in, blah, blah, blah.
Innocent mistakes my ass.
These sons of bitches are as corrupt as they come, and if you haven't caught on to this yet, you haven't really been paying attention during these past four years and I'm afraid there's very little hope for you.
"No WMD, Sadda-Al Qaeda ties, ignoring Al Qaeda warnings leading to 9-11, outing CIA agents, torturing prisoners, denying people constitutional rights, passing the Patriot Act in the wake of 9-11, phony "voter riots" in Florida, misappropriation of Iraq funds, no-bid contracts for Halliburton, scrubbing voter roles in 2000, scrubbing voter roles this time leaving Latinos in, blah, blah, blah."
I know, it really pissed me off when the Democrats made these mistakes, too.
A little off topic, but I wondered...
WHEN is Kerry, or the when are the Democrats going to bring up the seamist sides of the Bush administration....
Right now, on Buzzflash there are three stories (at least) about free speech violations by the Bush administration. One a parks department worker getting fired for talking about and giving opinions on the current state of the parks and funding. She is a professional, and since she is not "in line" she was fired. Hard nosed. Stupid.
The other two stories about TAXPAYER FUNDED Bush speeches, with people waving "Bush 2004" buttons and support left unmolested, and two who had a "Love America, hate Bush" t-shirts being arrested, handcuffed, and (not confirmed, but as good as) fired for wearing these t-shirts.
If it was a private rally, paid for by Bush, it would still be a little sleazy, but when taxpayers are footing the bill, this is ILLEGAL and immoral.
Why aren't the democrats bringing THIS up as their own "Gay marriage" wedge issue?
I would say that ANY american, no matter their affiliation, ought to understand and be outraged by this affront.
Course...they won't
There is a petition at
asking the Carter Center to oversee the presidential election in this country. If you have a minute, I urge you to go sign it.
OK. For some reason, the url didn't show up. It is http://www.petitiononline.com/cc...4/
petition.html
Anyone who lived in Florida during the nineties can't help but be aware or the racial double standard in Florida--the difference in the treatment of Haitian immigrants as opposed to Cuban immigrants being a prime example of this. But they're usually not so obvious....
Another thing that hasn't been pointed out about the inadequacy of this list: with only 3 identifiers--name, race, and date of birth--isn't it possible for many people to be purged because they share the same? What if you are a white John Smith? Or take a popular girl's name--Tiffany or Heather. In such a large state, isn't it possible that there is a felon named Tiffany Smith who shares your race and birthday? Which will deny you the vote?
In other words, how do they dare create such a list without some unique identifier, like social security number? (which, of course, would mean they would have to require it for all voters!)
Anyway, the whole idea of denying former felons the right to vote is outrageous.
A "huge" database of 50,000 records?
Must be a DB2 shop. :0
"So you're saying they're pretty much like the Scientologists?"
============================
It's eerie just how much the Bush Administration is like Scientology.
They even use some of the same terminology for their tactics: "Fair Game," said Rove.
They attack established science on the basis of their mythology, co-opting and exploiting the lunatic fringe on single issues.
They falsified the military record of their leader.
Shrub is a credit to L. Ron's teachings.
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